Our Reality (Doki Doki Literature Club!)

Strictly Confidential

"-ko. Shi..." That was the last thing Sayori said before a hand placed itself on her shoulder, rousing her from her slumber. "Huh?"

The drowsy student glanced up from her desk to find Shujinkou standing next to her with a smile on his face. It was filled with innocence and slight amusement. "Well, this is a first. You're the one usually bringing me back from the Realm of Sleep. Though technically daydreaming isn't sleeping..."

"I was just tired..." she let out a large yawn as she stretched her tired arms. "I did a lot of planning last night."

"What were you planning for?" he asked.

"Eh?!" a sharp chill shot down her spine the moment he asked that. "P-Planning... I was just planning... For a lot of things really! There's a lot of things to plan for! I need to plan a lot for them!"

Sayori nervously laughed as she gathered her things. "By the way, what are you doing here Shujinkou?"

"You weren't at the club, so I went looking for you," the young man answered.

"Oh. That makes sense," Sayori happily accepted. "Let's go!"

Shujinkou followed his childhood friend out of the classroom and down the hallway. On their way to the clubroom, he couldn't help but catch a few glimpses of her bright face. Such a sight reminded him of a promise he failed to keep. "If a friend needs me to be there, I'll be there."

"Hm?" You'll be what?" that question was all it took to afflict Shujinkou with shock. He couldn't believe that he said that out loud.

"I was just thinking about a promise I made..." he answered as he scratched his right cheek. He couldn't find it in him to completely answer that question then. It was just too awkward for him to do so after shutting her out for so long.

"Shujinkou?" Sayori curiously called.

Perhaps it was even more awkward because deep down, he feels like she may have not completely forgiven him. Especially since she hasn't once-

"Maybe I'm being too hard on myself. I mean it could just be that she outgrew that," he thought. "Maybe I could just ask her outright."

Shujinkou nervously scratched his right cheek as he gazed into Sayori's eyes. "Hey, Sayori..."

A sharp yawn swiftly brought the conversation to an end as it caught their attention in its grasp. Following the sudden interruption to its source, the two would soon find Kiyoko lying on the bench beside them.

"Kiyo!" Sayori excitedly waved at the girl next to them.

"Hey, you two," Kiyoko waved back.

"What are you doing here, Kiyoko?" Shujinkou asked. "Is there no practice today?"

"No, there is. I'm just not part of the team anymore," she nonchalantly answered.

"Huh?" Shujinkou was very surprised to hear that, at least until he remembered her equally nonchalant response to her feelings on the subject during Summer Break. But even with that knowledge in mind, he couldn't help but ask, "How come?"

"There were commitment issues and I didn't want to lead the other on."

"Oh. That's-" a balloon exploding in Shujinkou's face kept him from saying any more. Everything was black until he felt a finger slide across his eyes. With his field of vision restored, the first thing he witnessed was Sayori licking a taupe-colored substance from her index finger.

"It's oatmeal," she said with a satisfied grin.

"Looks likes you were the latest victim," Kiyoko said as she reached into her bag. She pulled out a towel and offered it to Shujinkou.